Alonzo french



(No Model.)

A. FRENCH.- LAMP 0R ANALOGOUS STRUGTURE.

No. 416,219. Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

WITNESSES:

A T TOR/VE Y N PETERS. Phalo-Lflhogmphcr, Washinglon, ac,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO FRENCH, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

LAMP OR ANALOGOUS STRUCTURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,219, dated December 3, 1889. Application filed January 16, 1888. $erial No. 260,829. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALONZO FRENCH, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lamps or Analogous Structures, of which the following is a specification. The invention relates to the means of attachin g a glass body or fount to a supportingstand, separately formed. It has long been common to make the body of lamps of glass and to make the stand and base in one or more pieces of the same or a dilterent material, formed separately. The means of unitin g involve difficulties which my invention is intended to surmount. I extend the central portion of the glass in the base of the lampbody downward and engage it with a lockingpiece of metal, which may be ordinary castiron, tapped to match the screw-thread in a rod received below. A tasty external finish is produced by aproperly spun or otherwise formed metallic socket covering the junction. The lamp-body, with the locking-piece, is turned relatively to the stand until the screwthreads draw the body firmly down and take up all slack. The locking-piece may be a hollow open-work frame of metal, of a form approximating the frustum of a cone, and of suitable size to receive the small screw on the stand. I will show this as formed with two or more slender arms, in inclined positions, extending outward and upward from a thick center, which latter is tapped to receive a screw, and having the outer end of the arms joined by a ring. One of these is placed in the proper position in a mold, and the body of the lamp is formed by blowing while the glass is hot, care being taken to have a suflicient thickness of glass in the required soft condition in the base of the fount. of blowing causes it to enter the conical hollow interior of the locking-piece and to be distended outward in the spaces between the arms and under the ring, so as to lock the casting to the glass. The hot glass shrinks in cooling. The construction provides that such shrinkage shall prevent the parts from fitting tightly together and insures that they shall be retained only by the mechanical locking due to the forms of the parts engagportion.

The act ing together. Alittle looseness in the union is no objection, as it is taken up by the tension induced by the screw.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and represent what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention as applied to a lamp.

Figure 1 is a vertical central section. The remaining figures are on a larger scale and show portions. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the locking-piece alone. Fig. 3 is a corresponding plan View. Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 show modified forms. Fig. 4 is a'vertical section of a Fig.- 5 is an elevation of a lockingpiece. Fig. 6 is a plan View of the same, and Fig. 7 is a vertical central section. n

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they occur.

Referring to Fig. 1, A is the fount ot' a lamp, which, it will be understood, is to be equipped at the top with any suitable burner, a chimney, &c. (Not shown.)

B is the base or foot.

B is the shaft or upright stand.

0 is a thin hollow shell or socket of metal, produced by stamping, spinning, or otherwise, and I) is a small rod, screw-threaded at each end, extending up and downthe axis. It is provided with nuts D D which hold the rod firmly in place relatively to the parts B B" C, and also hold such parts firmly together. The upper end of the screw lD extends above the upper nut D, and serves an important function by engaging with the locking-piece in a simple ornamental form.

E is the locking-piece, certain portions of which will be designated, when necessary, by additional marks, as E. It is of cast-iron or other metal, tapped to engage on the upper end of the screw D, and has arms E extending outward and upward. Their extremities are joined by a ring E adapted to lock permanently, but loosely, with the glass, as will now be described. The entire locking-piece E, including the central boss and itsarms E and ring E, are cast in one.

The main portion of the fount A may be of any ordinary or suitable size and form. In

the center of its base is a downward projecsame operation by tion A, produced at the blowing which forms the body. This projection is hollow. It is made while the glass is soft and yielding, by holding the previouslyformed locking-piece E E E in a suitable mold, (not shown,) with its hollow side toward the bubble of melted glass. The act of blowing at the same time that it expands the other portions of the glass to produce the upper and main portion of the body in the desired tasty form also forces the semi-fluid glass downward into the conical interior of the casting, and from thence outward into the spaces under the ring The yielding layer of plastic glass is prevented from bulging out too far in these spaces by the presence of an inclosing-mold, not shown, of iron or other suitable material. But it is swelled out by the force of the air so far as to engage firmly and reliably under the ring E \Vhen the glass hardens, the body is strongly but loosely secured to the metal, and the fonnt is now complete. On subsequently screwing the locking-piece E upon the rod D, and forcibly drawing down the latter upon the socket O, the looseness or slack is taken up, and all is firm.

Figs. 5, 6, and 7 show a modifi cation in which the locking-piece is formed of hard sheet-brass or other elastic metal, properly cut and stamped, and provided with arms E, sufficiently elastic and left free to yield and allow of its being slipped into place and locked after the glass is shaped. In this mode of carrying out theinvention the screw-threaded rod, corresponding to D, may be permanently connected to the locking-piece, as shown, and secured by a nut applied underneath. WVith this form of the invention the socket 0 performs an important function additional to those of receiving the downward pressure of the body and of covering and ornamenting the junction by matching against the outer faces of the arms E, and holding them firmly engaged. So long as the socket C is in place, the locking-piece cannot become disengaged from its stronghold in the recesses in the glass.

Other modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention. The form of the body A of the fount and the forms of the base and stand may obviously be varied. The locking-piece may have a greater number of arms E. It may have two or more rings E They need not be complete rings. The glass being blown into its interior and outward into the spaces while in a soft state will adapt its form thereto.

It is not essential that the locking-piece E E E be cast. It may be made by drop-forging, or in any convenient way. Instead of blowing to produce the shape of the portion A, the glass may be forced downward and outward to engage within the locking-piece by other means, as by pressing.

The invention may be employed with or without modification to attach a glass bell to a supporting arm, hook, or chain, by which it may beheld at a proper height over the flame of a lamp. It may be applied to other devices than lamps, as inkstands, and many articles of household or general use, where there is an advantage in having a body of glass supported on a stand of the same or different material, formed separately, with capacity for connecting and disconnecting.

I apply a nut D upon the threaded Wire D, in the position shown, so as to hold the socket 0 connected to the stand B before the fount is applied. I have so represented it in Fig. 1.

I claim as my invention- 1. A lamp-body or analogous vessel of glass and a locking-piece of metal applying externally thereto, these parts being secured by loosely interlocking their forms, in combination with each other and with a support for the glass vessel, holding it up, and a screw D, arranged to draw the metal downward and thereby tighten'the engagement and constitute a rigid union, substantially as herein specified.

2. The locking-piece E, comprising a ring E downwardly-projecting converging arms E, and an internally screw-threaded base, in combination with the glass vessel A, having downward projection A, provided with an annular recess a, engaging said ring, said projection A extending outwardly under the ring E and between and looking with said arms E, and the metallic socket C, tightly embracing said ring E arms E, and projection A between the arms, substantially as specified.

The locking-piece E, comprising a ring E downwardly-projecting converging arms E, and an internally screw-threaded base, in combination with the glass vessel A, having downward projection A, provided with an annular recess a, engaging said ring, said proj ection A extending outwardly under the ring E and between and looking with the arms E, the metallic socket G, tightly embracing said ring E arms E, and projection A between the arms, a threaded rod D, engaging said screw-threaded base, and an independent nut D on said threaded rod for engaging said socket, as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at New York city, this 4th day of January, 1888, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALONZO FRENCH.

Witnesses:

CHARLES R. SEARLE, M. F. BoYLE. 

